Two Sides of the Same Coin

10:30 PM

You mean to tell me that you’re like…a part of me?

Yes.

I kept staring at my shadow, which was on the wall in my room. I looked down at the floor and noticed that my shadow was gone. I was starting to get goosebumps.

Are you…able to talk physically?

I…I don’t know. I can try right now.

C…

“C…can you hear me?” said the shadow.

“Yeah, wow, that’s crazy. This is crazy. What the hell is going on, Orthos?”

“I-I don’t know. I can’t believe you can finally see me. Now you can hear me too? We’re making good progress.”

“Are you really Orthos?”

“Yes, I am very positive now. When we watched the news on the TV earlier, my memories were starting to come back.”

“Well…what the hell do we do? I mean, you said my mother was in trouble.”

“Yes, I have good reason to believe she is. I remember that doctor you met, that we met, and that he was from the medical facility. My memories haven’t fully come back, but I’m getting them back piece by piece.”

“That’s good to hear, but how are you a part of…me?”

“That…I still don’t know. I don’t remember how I became a part of you. I have many questions of my own. If anything, I’ve finally developed the capacity to contain my thoughts and memories now.”

“And you can move around…as my shadow, too?”

“I mean, I guess. This is my first time trying it out.”

Orthos began to walk around as my shadow. I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. I mean, how the hell was any of this even possible?

“Give me a high-five, Orthos,” I said.

Orthos walked over to me and pressed his hand onto mine. I could feel his hand. My shadow’s hand. This was insane.

We should get some rest, Tom.

Oh, now we’re speaking telepathically again.

Sorry, force of habit.

I turned off the lights around the house. I lay in bed and had too many thoughts going through my head. I was also too worried to sleep.

Where is my mother right now? Hopefully safe.

11:11 PM

Dr. Roberts was waiting in one of the white rooms when General Vogel and his soldiers arrived inside.

“It’s late, General, why did you bring another subject? Couldn’t this wait until tomorrow afternoon or so?” asked Dr. Roberts.

“Because, Doctor, she’s a prime subject. Plus, I have other duties to attend to tomorrow.”

“General, there is limited staff in the facility right now. Most of the androids are recharging right now as well. It’ll take me a while to get the subject set up with only a couple of androids. Do you even have her ID? Has she already been blessed by the Pope?”

“Of course, I visited the Pope earlier to have her be blessed. I’ve never come unprepared,” replied General Vogel.

General Vogel brought out the woman’s ID card from his left breast pocket and gave it to Dr. Roberts. Dr. Roberts checked the ID card.

Wilson…Rachelle Wilson was the full name printed on it.

“Is she a mother, General?” Dr. Roberts asked.

“Yes, she is the mother of two children from what I’ve gathered. Tom and Josh Wilson.”

“General, why did you capture their mother? I already have one of the sons. He’s one of the test subjects—”

“I know, Doctor. I want that family executed or, at the very least, harvested.”

“But, General, what about the other son?”

“Nothing to worry about, Doctor. I’ve already confirmed his location earlier. I’d like him to sleep well tonight, unaware that after I capture him, I’ll torture him. Then, you can harvest him.”

“Y-Yes, General, I understand,” said Dr. Roberts.

Dr. Roberts immediately got to work with only a couple of androids active. The woman was unconscious. Two Royal Guard soldiers brought her over on a stretcher. They carried her body over from the stretcher to the operating table. Dr. Roberts needed to sedate her and get her body set up for connecting the tubes.

He hated this part of the process because it was fifty-fifty whether the body would shut down or not when connecting the tubes. Luckily, her body didn’t respond negatively when the tubes were connected to her body. He was smiling without realizing it. Once the tubes were connected, the rest of the process was usually smooth. The final test was to see how much blood can be sucked before the body breaks down.

There was always some kind of hurdle, Dr. Roberts thought.

“I will be on my way now, Doctor, sleep well,” said General Vogel.

General Vogel began to walk out of the room with his soldiers behind him. Dr. Roberts cursed under his breath.

10:05 AM

“He’s late, Richard. Can we please start this meeting already?” said Pope Pius.

“Fine,” said King Richard, after letting out a sigh.

The meeting was being held at the church. They were both sitting in a dining hall, sipping on red wine. A butler had come in earlier and provided the red wine in white chalices to each of them. A table that could accommodate eight people was placed between them. They sat in chairs that were made of fine material. Both of them were looking into each other’s eyes, trying to see who would falter first. It was the Pope who would make the first move.

“So, Richard, what is the purpose of this meeting?” asked Pope Pius.

(White pawn to e4.)

“I wanted to discuss about your…involvement with immortality.”

(Black pawn to c6.)

“My involvement, Richard? What about it?”

(White pawn to d4.)

“How come the church, or rather, you, never told me about your work?”

(Black pawn to d5.)

“Because Richard, my work is none of your concern. You are the King and only the King. That is your sole purpose. The royals and the church are separate,” said Pope Pius.

(White knight to c3.)

King Richard was starting to look visibly frustrated. He was being cornered without realizing it. His resentment for the Pope only worsened. He began to speak again, hoping to gain an edge in the conversation.

“Rumors have been circulating throughout the higher sections. Rumors saying that you, Pius, are trying to take over the kingdom, my kingdom.”

(Black pawn captures on e4.)

“Your kingdom, Richard? The kingdom that I built from the ground up. You weren’t even born during the Great War, far from it. You were a concubine's baby that managed to miraculously be born into royalty. And…I believe it’s time for some changes to happen.”

(White knight captures on e4.)

Silence filled the room. Both of them were staring into each other’s eyes, trying to look into each other’s souls. King Richard was more visibly distressed. The Pope hadn’t flinched at all. His face didn’t even move a muscle.

“Changes…Pius? You believe that changes are in order, huh?” asked King Richard. His throat felt coarse.

(Black knight to d7.)

“Yes, Richard, it’s about time for things to change around here. Ada would agree with me as well.”

(White queen to e2.)

“Ada? Since when were you and Adeline so close?”

(Black knight to f6.)

“Since your affair with that maid sometime ago that bore you a disgrace to Germany,” said Pope Pius after drinking his wine.

(White knight to d6. Checkmate.)

King Richard was frozen in shock. He didn’t realize how much of an upper hand the Pope had on him. He didn’t know about his connection with the Queen, Adeline, either.

Their relationship was estranged after the incident. Those memories were coming back to him again, haunting him. He swiped his chalice off the table. The chalice made a loud noise as it hit the floor, echoing throughout the room.

“DAMN YOU, PIUS!” shouted King Richard. He completely lost all his composure.

“We’re two sides of the same coin, Richard. We both want power. Except, my side is far larger than yours. Do you have any last words, Richard?”

“Last words? I’ll make sure the Royal Guard buries you. You and all your followers will be the first to reach the gates of Hell.”

“I’ve already seen it, Richard,” Pope Pius said, chuckling. “And it’s marvelous. If anything, the Man Below is quite the gentleman,” he added.

“What are you even talking about—”

King Richard’s head exploded.

“If I may continue, Richard, my words are both a blessing…and a curse,” said the Pope, as he watched the King’s body fall to the floor.

Pope Pius clapped his hands twice, and multiple maids and butlers came to the dining hall.

“Clean this mess up,” he said to all of them.

They all began to wipe the blood off the table and floor. The butlers were having trouble trying to carry out the King’s body. His body leaned more towards the heavier side.

Pope Pius stood up from his chair and walked out of the dining hall. He climbed a set of stairs to his office. He sat down in his chair near the unlit fireplace. It was too early to turn it on. He pulled out his device to check the time.

10:20 AM

“He should be here soon,” he said.

THIRTY MINUTES AGO

How the hell did I end up in this situation?

Calm down, Tom. We’ll figure this out.

“Now, which one of you wants to die first?” said a man in a red beret.

I looked up at the soldier. The Royal Guard filled up the room. I tried to use my pad earlier to get into the city but ended up in Claire’s living room. They must have tampered with it or something.

“Doctor, would you like to go first? Or maybe I should go with your daughter, instead? Mm, your wife looks like she’s begging to be killed,” said the General.

Dr. Roberts was still trying to understand why General Vogel was doing this to him and his family. His wife and daughter were crying endlessly. However, he couldn't care less about what would happen to Tom.

All four of them were put on their knees and being held at gunpoint. Their arms and legs were bound by rope.

“General, why are you doing this to my family? I can understand the boy, but why me? Why my family, General?” said Dr. Roberts.

He wanted answers. No…he needed answers.

“Because Doctor, I have reasons to believe that you and the boy’s family have been cooperating together.”

“What do you mean, General? I’ve only met this boy once! His family has already been taken care of, remember? Last night?”

What the hell were they talking about? My family being taken care of?

Calm down, Tom. We’re still trying to assess the situation.

I don’t know how long I can stay calm. I hate seeing Claire cry her eyes out.

“No, Doctor, I remember that. I’m referring to you supplying the boy’s mother, specifically her acquaintance with high-end lab equipment that is only meant to be found and used in the medical facilities. Care to explain that, Doctor?” asked General Vogel.

“W-What? What are you even talking about, General? I don’t even know his family! With all these lies, you’re now jeopardizing my family as well. Stop with this nonsense, General, and let go of my family already!”

“Okay, Doctor, I’ll let them go,” said General Vogel as he pointed his gun at Claire.

In that split moment, Dr. Roberts realized what must have happened. He remembered how Dr. Johnson used to leave the medical facility earlier than usual sometimes. During those times, some lab equipment would go missing. Nurses would be taken away, but not Dr. Johnson, not yet. He was the head of the facility, so there were no suspicions of him. If there was someone who would steal the equipment, it had to be him.

This was all just a little misunderstanding. Dr. Roberts believed that General Vogel was someone he could reason with, even under these circumstances.

I looked to my left and noticed Dr. Roberts trying to stand up. What is this guy doing?

As Dr. Roberts tried to get up and calm General Vogel down, the General moved his gun over to him and shot him right in his chest. Whether it was instinctual or not for the Doctor to stand up, it was already too late for him to fully think clearly.

Dr. Roberts fell to the floor, coughing up blood. I just sat there trying to process what just happened. I looked over at Claire and her mom. They were screaming and yelling. Everything was so loud and chaotic that I was even able to tune out for a second or two. The sound of the gunshot was still ringing in my ears though.

Dr. Roberts looked over at me. He tried whispering something to me.

“I…I’m sorry.”

He closed his eyes. He wasn’t coughing up blood anymore. I just stared at his lifeless body. I witnessed another person die in front of me. I felt someone grab me from behind and drag me across the floor. I looked over and saw Claire and her mom getting taken away.

Everything happened so fast. Orthos, we need to do something, right?

Not yet.

Orthos, c’mon, man. If we don’t do something now, more people are going to die. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of not being able to do anything.

Not yet, Tom. We’ll have our moment to shine. Right now, just be patient. Endure it. Suffer if you have to because it’s only going to get worse from here.

I bit my inner lip. I hated feeling so powerless. I could hear Claire screaming my name from the kitchen before I got onto the pad.

The next thing I knew, I was in another room. This one had books all around and a fireplace that wasn’t on. I noticed a man sitting down in a chair near the fireplace. He turned around and looked at me. A man who had a white hood over his head and was wearing a white robe with golden accents designed all over it…

What the fuck? It’s the Pope.

“Took you long enough, Vogel. How was the Doctor and his family?” asked the Pope.

“They were fine. It took us a while to get everyone situated, but the result was still the same, just as you said.”

“Of course, it was, Vogel, I am a holy man after all.”

“And the King? He’s been…disposed of?”

“Yes, the King is no more. I will now be your new King, but I will retain my status as the Pope as well. I will now be…the Emperor of Germany,” said the Pope.

The General and the rest of the Royal Guard in the room all went down on one knee.

“Hail, hail to the new Emperor!” shouted the Royal Guard.

The Emperor looked down at me. We locked eyes for a brief moment. I could feel his glare seeping into me.

“Take him to one of the black rooms, Vogel. Once we get things in motion, I’ll let you do whatever you want with him,” said the Emperor.

“With pleasure, sire,” replied the General.

Two Royal Guard soldiers dragged my body back to the pad. I was teleported in a dark room. It was pitch-black, and I couldn’t see anything.

“Don’t move a muscle, commoner,” said one of the soldiers.

The other soldier laughed. It seems they were finding this whole thing amusing.

I still had my arms and legs bound by rope. It felt even tighter now for some reason in this dark room. I tried calling out to the soldiers, but they had already left it seemed. My voice bounced off the walls in the room loudly, it must be very compact in here. I couldn’t really do anything and Orthos didn’t seem to be of much help either.

I had to be in the worst situation possible.